Don't you hate it when you accidentally hit the Caps Lock key? Sometimes I have a whole sentence typed in before I realize my mistake! (I know, GASP!)
What if you could set your computer up so it alerts you when your pinky finger wanders off and taps the Caps Lock key? With this tip, I'll show you how to make your computer beep & flash the next time it happens.
The first thing you'll need to do is get the computer to beep when you hit the Caps Lock key. Here's how:
1. Click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel (XP Users, hit the Start button, Control Panel). Open the Accessibility Options Icon.
2. On the Keyboard tab, click the "Use Toggle Keys" checkbox.
That's it for the beeping part.
Next, we need to get your screen to flash you, err, flash at you. Here's how:1. From the Accessibility Options screen, click the Sound tab and check the "Use SoundSentry" checkbox.
2. Next click the Settings button and select "Flash active window" from the "Warning for windowed programs" drop down box.
That's it. Hit OK until you're clear of property and settings screens. Open your favorite word processor and hit your Caps Lock key.
P.S. If you don't have an Accessibility Options icon in your Control Panel, you may not have it installed.
To install, hit your Start button, Settings, Control Panel. Open the Add / Remove programs icon and click the Windows Setup tab. You'll be able to add components from there. Keep in mind you'll need your Windows CD!
File Associations Do you have file association anxiety? Do your JPEG's open up in the wrong program (say your web browser and not your imaging software)? Do you have a file type that isn't associated with any program? Well, there is a solution!
1. Open Explorer (right-click the Start button and select Explore) and head to a file you would like to either associate with another program or get associated with a program for the first time.
2. Once you get to the file, hold down your SHIFT key and right-click it. You will be presented with a menu that gives you an option to Open With.... Select that.
Oh, if you're using XP, you may not even need to hold down the shift key to get this to work. XP usually give you an Open with item on the right-click menu with a sub-menu full of options. If you want to change the association, you'll need to select the Choose Program option.
XP Open With picture:
Note - in the sample pictures, we'll re-associate a JPEG with Photoshop - it was original associated with Internet Explorer. So, in the photo below I hold the SHIFT key down and right-click a JPG file.
3. This will open up a screen where you can tell Windows what program to open that particular file with. Choose the program and make sure the little "Always use this program to open this type of file" checkbox is checked. Hit OK.
That should do it. Windows will now use the new file association when opening the file you just worked with.
Don't Start! Don't you just hate it when you've installed a program that insists on starting itself when you boot the computer? You know the drill. You install something and it places an icon in your system tray.
Now, all those little icons you see in your system tray represent programs that are RUNNING. If a bunch of stuff loads when you start your computer, you may be maxing out your system before you launch your first regular program. So, if you find your computer getting progressively slower as you add more software, it could be that these system tray icons are, at least partially, at fault.
In addition, program running in your system tray can cause any (or all) of the following problems:
- Sluggish system speed
- Frequent lockups / illegal operations
- Software install problems
- Difficulty in running some programs
The more of these programs you have running, the more likely it is that you're going to see one or more of the problems mentioned above. Granted, System Tray programs are not the only cause for the conditions mentioned above, but they are the first place to look.
So, how do you keep all these unwanted programs at bay?
1. Click the Start button and select Run...
2. Next, type in:
msconfig
Then hit OK.
3. The System Configuration Utility should run (please note that not all computers have it installed -see note below).
4. Click the Startup tab.
5. You'll see a listing of all the stuff that starts itself when your computer does. Just uncheck the programs you don't want to load and leave the rest alone.
Note - If you don't have msconfig on your system (win 95 / 2000 doesn't) then check out Startup Control Panel at:
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtmlIt does basically the same thing.
Once you get msconfig or the program above running, you'll probably see more stuff than you bargained for. I would advise exercising caution while unchecking, especially if you're not sure about what program(s) you're suppressing. Stuff like "Scan Registry" and "System tray" are probably best left alone. If you see stuff that you recognize as being non-essential software, than uncheck it. This is one of those do at your own risk things - for sure.
If you're not sure which program is being referred to, look at the path. Sometimes the folder just before the ".exe" file can give you a clue as to what program you're dealing with.
For example, if I see something like:
"C:\program files\real\realplayer.exe"
I can guess the program in question is the ever annoying Real Player.
In general, don't disable stuff that starts like this:
"C:\Windows\"
Or stuff like this:
SysTray.exe
These are more likely to be important system files and programs. You may find that your computer won't run without them and you'll have to go into Safe mode to get things working again.
Finally, note that unchecking this stuff doesn't remove it. The idea behind having these programs start when the computer does is to give you fast, easy access to them. However, having too many of these programs running at the same time can hit you hard in the system resources department. I personally make sure anything I don't need isn't running. If I need it, I'll click on it's shortcut.
Single Click Icons & Folders It seems like one of the most common questions I get is "how can I set
my icons for single-clicking?"
Well, it's easy. Here's how:
1. Right-click your Start button and select "Explore".
2. Once Windows Explorer opens, hit the Tools menu, Folder Options.
3. Click the Web Style radio button and hit OK. You may be asked to
confirm you really want single-click icons.
That's it. You should be opening programs with a single-click.
If you want to be more particular, select "Custom" from the folder options screen and hit the settings button. You can control just about every aspect of your icons and folders from there.
Let's get out of these wet clothes and into a dry Martini.
<I>-Every Day's a Holiday</I>